Show TAKE MY WORD FOR FORIT IT By Frank Colby Some weeks ago this column colum n discussed the new mad vogue of using the words nostalgia an and d nostalgic on every possible occasion oc oc- casion casior I explained that nostalgia nostalgia nostalgia nos nos- talgia means homesickness and that nostalgic means homesick home s sick nothing sick nothing more nothing less The words are from th the e Greek a return home plus algia pain Nostalgia is a term coined b by y psychologists to designate a a. L morbid form of mental derangement derange ment ment-a ment a psychotic longing t to o return home or to ones one's native e land Nevertheless writers on ever every Y hand continue to manhandle tb the e words in ways that would be b e funny if it were not for the fact fac t that they are aiding and abetting abetting abetting abet abet- ting in the process of destroying g by corruption two classic an and d 1 valuable words A few more mor e horrible examples Colliers Collier's Winnie Vinnie had nostalgic nostalgic nostalgic gic memories of the big Creole Creol e Bank story of or 12 years ago Homesick memories of a newspaper newspaper news news- newspaper paper story Handbook of Radio Production Production a tion by Erik Barnouw tiThe The e Twentieth Century Limited roaring through th the night wit with h screams of locomotive whistle c has all the nostalgia it should d 1 have Here we have a railroad d 1 train tram screaming with homesickness homesick homesick- nes ness For what what the the roundhouse roundhouse roundhouse round round- house From a story in the Saturday Y Evening Post about the millionaire millionaire million million- n aire Lew Wentz who ho lives i ia in ina ina n a hotel suite where people drop by regularly to see him All this makes Wentz feel at home and he is nostalgically grateful for the informal atmosphere He feels at home which makes him grateful Ah lovely |